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Tuesday, November 30, 2010

This was one of our Thanksgiving desserts this year. There are lots of recipes out there for pumpkin trifles, but I chose this one from epicurious not only because it calls for homemade whipped cream, but the gingerbread part sounded amazing.

You absolutely could substitute a box of gingerbread mix and Cool Whip, but after tasting this trifle I would have to argue that it is totally worth it to make the gingerbread and the whipped cream from scratch. The gingerbread was spicy, sweet, and had a light, fluffy texture. The recipe calls for both molasses and dark brown sugar (and since brown sugar is really just molasses mixed with white sugar, that's a lot of molasses!).

It specifically said not to use blackstrap molasses so I bought another kind (I just bought the only bottle I could find that didn't have the word "blackstrap" anywhere on it). Molasses is the byproduct of refining cane sugar into table (white) sugar. Each time the sugar syrup is boiled, the flavor intensifies and becomes slightly more bitter. Sweet molasses is what you get from the first boiling, and that's (I think) what I used in my gingerbread. Blackstrap molasses is made from the third boiling of the sugar syrup. While it is a little more bitter in flavor, it also has a higher concentration of vitamins and minerals, making it a good choice of sweetener compared to white sugar, which is completely stripped of it's original vitamins and minerals. I bet that's more than you ever wanted to know about molasses, but I found it very interesting!

We made most of the trifle the day before (all except the very top layer of whipped cream) and transported it to my parent's house. Right before we were ready to serve it, I whipped up some cream for the top. The pumpkin mousse has unflavored gelatin in it, which seems to make it hold itself together so it doesn't soak into the gingerbread very much, which I guess is why you can make it the day before.

You want to hold off on that top layer of whipped cream until ready to serve because you can't cover the trifle dish with it on, at least that would have been my problem, as you can see in the photo below. Next time I think I would take a little more care to make the layers straighter, but that's just because I am a perfectionist. I would arrange the gingerbread in an even layer rather than just pile them in, and then I would pipe the mousse and whipped cream into the dish instead of spooning and spreading. If you didn't have a trifle dish but wanted a nice presentation you could also use individual clear glass dishes or goblet-type glasses.

Note: You can make the gingerbread the day before you assemble the trifle if you want. Just keep it in the pan at a cool room temperature, covered. You can assemble the trifle, without the top layer of whipped cream, 1 day ahead. Whip half the cream just before serving.

To make the gingerbread:
Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a 13x9-inch pan with a layer of foil, then butter the foil. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, add the flour, baking soda, spices, and salt, and whisk to combine.

In an electric mixer, beat together the butter and brown sugar at medium speed for 3-5 minutes, or until pale and fluffy. Add the egg and beat until blended. Add the molasses and buttermilk and beat until blended. Lower the speed and mix in the dry ingredients until smooth. Add hot water and beat for one minute (batter may look curdled).

Pour batter evenly into pan and bake for about 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan. Get the gingerbread out of the pan by lifting up on the foil. Gingerly (haha) transfer to a cutting board and cut into 1-inch cubes. They say to use a serrated knife but I had better luck with my santoku.

To make the pumpkin mousse:
Put the water into a small saucepan and sprinkle the gelatin over the top. Let soften for one minute, then bring to a simmer, stirring until all the gelatin has dissolved. Whisk this mixture together with the pumpkin, brown sugar, spices, and salt in a large bowl until thoroughly combined.

Clean your electric mixing bowl and beaters from making the gingerbread. Beat the cream and vanilla until they hold soft peaks, then gently, but thoroughly, fold into the pumpkin mixture.

To make the whipped cream:
You can just use the same electric mixing bowl and beaters as you just used for the mousse. Beat the cream with the sugar and vanilla until it holds soft peaks.

To assemble the trifle:
You can either be very "Type A" about this or more laid back, it's up to you. Put about half of the gingerbread cubes into the bottom of the trifle bowl. Top with about half of the pumpkin mousse, then half of the whipped cream. Add the rest of the gingerbread, then the rest of the mousse, then the rest of the whipped cream. Chill for at least 2 hours, then serve.

Sunday, November 28, 2010

We made these biscuits back in July for my dad's birthday, and they were requested again for Thanksgiving. The first time we ate them picnic-style with fried chicken and slaw. This time we ate them warm with homemade cinnamon honey butter! We were going for a simpler Thanksgiving meal this year, and by serving these biscuits we eliminated the need to make a traditional sweet potato casserole. Two sides in one!

My mom made the cinnamon honey butter. It's perfect with the sweet potato biscuits, and it's even great just on toast!

Joe made the biscuits, I just came in partway through to take some (not very good) photos and eat raw biscuit dough (my favorite).

Notes: If you want to make these biscuits ahead of time, you can cut them out, lay them on a baking sheet, and refrigerate for up to two hours before baking (doesn't seem like a huge time saver, but if you or your guests demand biscuits hot out of the oven, this seems like a good way to go). You can also freeze the cut biscuits on a tray in the freezer for about 6 hours, then pile them into a zip-lock bag where they will keep frozen for about a month. When ready to bake, do not thaw, just bake them for a longer time, about 20-25 minutes.

Move an oven rack to the upper-middle position and preheat the oven to 450 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Put the cubed sweet potato into a medium microwave-safe bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and poke a couple of small holes in it to vent. Microwave on high for 5-7 minutes, or until the potato is tender. Mash with a potato masher until very smooth. Let cool slightly.

Whisk the heavy cream and vanilla into the mashed sweet potatoes until thoroughly combined.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Using a wooden spoon, stir the sweet potato mixture into this flour mixture for about 30 seconds, until it forms a dough.

Lightly flour a clean working surface and turn the dough out onto it. Knead briefly, about 30 seconds, until smooth. Pat the dough out into a ¾-inch thick round, about 8 inches in diameter.

Use a 2 ½ inch biscuit cutter if you have a perfectly equipped kitchen, or a small drinking glass of any size if you do not, and stamp out about 8 biscuits. You may be able to make more if you are using a smaller cutter (we made 12 biscuits). You may have to gently pat the dough scraps back together into a ¾ inch thick piece as needed to make all your biscuits.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Mmmm, I love sweet potatoes. We usually bake them whole in the oven for an hour and then top with either sweet or savory toppings, but recently I came across a different way of cooking them that I wanted to try. It’s from Smitten Kitchen, one of my favorite cooking blogs.

Deb (can I call her Deb?) sliced the potatoes into 1-inch thick medallions and roasted them with just a little oil, salt and pepper, flipping them partway through.Then she served them with “a little Thanksgiving on top”: a salad of chopped celery, shallots, dried cranberries, goat cheese, and pecans…yum!I made my potatoes exactly as she described, but I topped mine with sautéed leeks and freshly crumbled Gorgonzola, and then put them under the broiler for a minute or two just to melt the cheese. I got that ingredient combination idea from The Best Ever Three and Four Ingredient Cookbook.

The result was a perfectly cooked potato, crispy on the outside, smooth and almost creamy on the inside. The biggest bonus? They were done in half the time it normally takes to bake a potato in the oven!

Loaded with toppings - ready for the broiler.

They were so good! I had extra potatoes and leeks so we made them again tonight!

Preheat the oven to 450 F. Wash and scrub the potatoes. Slice crosswise into ¾ to 1-inch-thick slices, don’t bother to peel. Drizzle a couple tablespoons of the oil onto a baking sheet and spread it around so it coats the pan. Lay the potato slices on the sheet in a single layer and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the leeks. Slice off and discard the dark green tops and the very bottom end of the white part. Take the part that remains and slice it lengthwise into quarters, then slice those quarters into small pieces. Get a large bowl of cold water and fill it with the chopped leek. Agitate it with your fingers to loosen any dirt, which will sink to the bottom. Strain the leeks out of the bowl and dry them. A salad spinner works great for this, or just lay them between two towels. You want them to be as dry as possible so they don't spatter when you cook them.

Add a tablespoon or so of oil to a skillet and turn the heat to medium. When hot, add the leeks and saute until soft and a few start to brown. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

When the potatoes have finished roasting on one side (they will be nice and brown/blistery on the bottom, some might be very brown), flip them over and season the other side. Return the pan to the oven and let them cook for another 10 minutes or so, until the other side has browned as well.

Remove the pan from the oven and turn on the broiler. Top each potato slice with some of the leeks and cheese. Broil for a couple of minutes, just until the cheese bubbles.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Every year (ok, so that means the last three or four) it seems I only get around to cooking Brussels sprouts once, and I always make this recipe. I think it's because they are just around for a short time, and I really love this meal, so I never want to try anything else!

The recipe is from Cuisine at Home, and it's actually written up as a holiday side dish. I've never made it for a holiday meal though, just a regular weeknight meal, usually with some kind of starch to go with it (tonight, we served it over polenta). It's basically roasted Brussels sprouts, red onion, and sliced sausage, with a tangy dijon cream sauce drizzled over it. Sometimes I even skip the sauce; it's good, but roasted veggies are always really good on their own too.

You could use any type of sausage you want, just as long as it's already fully cooked. This recipe calls for kielbasa. This time, I used some delicious chicken apple sausage from Applegate Farms. I love their deli meat and sausage.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Dijon Cream Sauceadapted from Cuisine at Home - December 2005makes 6 cups

Note: This is how I prep Brussels sprouts: Wash and pat dry. Remove outermost leaves if they are damaged or dirty. Slice off about 1/4 inch of the very bottom stem.

Note: Instead of roast beef, you can also use leftover corned beef. You can also swap out 1 cup of the boiled potatoes with peeled cooked beets to make what's called Red Flannel Hash.

3 tablespoons oil or butter

2 cups chopped leftover roast beef (small cubes)

2 cups chopped cold boiled potatoes (small cubes)

1 cup chopped onion (I like it finely chopped in this dish)

1/2 cup liquid, such as stock, tomato sauce, milk, cream, or gravy

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

In a large bowl, toss together the beef, potatoes, and onion. Add about 1/2 cup of the liquid, just enough to moisten the mixture but not so much that it becomes soupy. Season with a little salt and pepper.

Put the oil or butter into a large oven-proof, preferably nonstick, skillet and turn the heat to medium-low. When hot, add the hash, pressing it out into a nice flat layer with a spatula. Cook, undisturbed, for about 10 minutes. Preheat the broiler.

At this point, Bittman suggests you can flip the hash over and brown the other side. Mine did not seem that sturdy, so I opted for his other suggestion of browning the top under the broiler.

Monday, November 15, 2010

A couple of months ago we purchased quarter of beef from Bald Hill Farms. We now have a whole chest freezer full of delicious grass-fed, free-range cuts of meat. To buy high-quality meat like this in small quantities is not very cost-effective, so we decided to take the plunge and buy in bulk, saving money in the long run. I still don't want to eat meat everyday, but I like supporting a local company and I like how they raise their animals. They've dedicated part of their land to public hiking trails, so I can actually go on a hike and walk right by their pastures (and I have)! Talk about knowing where your meat comes from!

This was the first of the roasts we made, using a recipe from the weekly ad at our new Market of Choice. Note to self: take the meat out of the freezer much sooner than you will need it to give it plenty of time to thaw! I'm not sure it was as tender as it should have been, because it was still a bit frozen in the middle. We kept the internal thermometer in so we could be sure it reached a safe temperature, but I'm afraid the outer parts cooked a bit longer than desired. Still, the flavorings complimented the meat very nicely and we were very happy with it in the end. We also roasted a large pan of local root veggies which were delicious.

We cooked a 5 pound roast instead of 3 pounds like it called for. That gave us lots of leftovers to use in various ways throughout the week. We had roast beef sandwiches, steak quesadillas, and my favorite, steak hash with a fried egg on top! None of it went to waste. I also had lots of leftover roasted veggies, along with some extras that wouldn't even fit on the pan, so about a week later (I didn't really want to wait a whole week, but I was too busy) I made a yummy pureed mixed vegetable soup. I cooked the raw veggies first, then added the roasted veggies near the end.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven (or other type of roasting pot) over medium-high heat. Combine the kosher salt, ground black pepper, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, dried oregano, and cayenne, and sprinkle generously all over the roast. Brown the roast on all sides in the pot. Add the onion, garlic, peppercorns, bay leaves, and the beer. Bring to a simmer. Transfer the pot to the oven and roast, uncovered, for about 1 hour, or until the internal temperature reaches 135 F (for medium rare). Remove roast from oven and from pot, and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with pan juices and roasted vegetables.

For the roasted vegetables:Use a mix of your favorite root or hard fall vegetables, such as pumpkin, squash, rutabaga, turnips, carrots, potatoes, and parsnips. The amounts and types listed below are a suggestion; just deviate from it depending on what you like or what you have.

Monday, November 8, 2010

I did it! I made my own apple butter! It wasn't difficult, and the result tastes really good! My main reason for making it was to be able to share it with my dad, who LOVES the stuff. He's getting like half the batch - which should last him a couple months :-)

I was going to attempt to re-write the recipe I used, and give detailed instructions on canning, but I'm afraid I will miss some details or not explain them well, and it's really not the kind of thing you should cook by just reading a one page recipe anyway. I think if you are going to can something like this you should have a book to refer to in case you have a question or something doesn't seem to be going just as planned. You need to follow the directions to the letter to be sure that your product is safe. I borrowed my friend Amy's canning supplies and the book she uses. I really liked the book, it's called "The Busy Person's Guide to Preserving Food" by Janet Chadwick. It tells you everything you need to know about canning, freezing, and drying food. I'm going to get my own copy, along with my own canning supplies, because this was fun. I also like this website. It has a ton of info on canning, along with stuff about local produce in general.

So instead of typing the recipe exactly, here are some pictures and brief explanations of what I did. In case you noticed, you're right, this is not my kitchen. I ended up house-sitting for a friend on short notice, so I made the apple butter in her kitchen.

First, I went to the Farmer's Market and bought about 12 pounds of apples (I was making a double batch). I was looking for tart apples, such as Liberty, Golden Delicious, McIntosh, and Jonathan. I bought a few pounds from about four different farms so I had a good variety.

About half of the apples I bought.

I loved this recipe because I didn't have to peel or core a single apple! I just chopped the apples into small pieces, including the peels and cores, and put them into a pot with 2 cups of apple cider (which I bought from one of the apple farms). I brought it to a boil and let the apples cook for about 20 minutes.

They cooked down considerably.

I then ran the cooked apples through a food mill in batches. My awesome mother-in-law was kind enough to mail me her food mill so I wouldn't have to buy one (needless to say, when I return it to her, she's getting a jar of apple butter to go with it!). The food mill helps to separate out the peels and seeds, so you are left with, basically, apple sauce. I blended it a little more with an immersion blender to get it a little smoother.

I spread the mixture out into a shallow baking dish and put it in a 200 F oven and let it cook for 8 hours, stirring every hour or so. Then I added a little ground cinnamon and cloves (no sugar at all!).

About an hour before I was ready to fill the jars, I filled the waterbath canner and turned the heat up to bring it to a boil (it took a LONG time). I got the lids gently simmering in a pot of water, and I had another pot of water barely boiling in case I needed to add more to the waterbath at any point. I cleaned the jars in the dishwasher so they would be clean and hot when I was ready.

I filled the jars, wiped the rims with a clean damp cloth, and put on the lid and screw band. Then I loaded the jars into the rack in the water bath and lowered them to the bottom. I had to wait awhile for the water to come back to a boil, but then I just had to boil them for 5 minutes and then I took them out and let them cool for 24 hours on the counter.

Jars loaded, ready to be lowered.

Jars lowered, waiting for water to return to a boil.

I know the lids are sealed because the center is depressed (no popping when pressed), and I can pick up the lid by the edge and it stays sealed.

The jars had a fine white powder on the outside, I think it was residue from the metal rack. It wiped right off.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Gotta love Rachael Ray. These are huge, insanely messy burgers. I mean, they're covered in a cheese sauce for crying out loud! And they're delicious, of course. I love the unusual ingredients, like Pumpernickel and watercress. Welsh Rarebit (or Welsh Rabbit) is a British dish that is basically a cheesy sauce served over toast.

Whenever I cook Rachael Ray recipes, I keep an eye out for opportunities where I can tweak amounts of ingredients or portion sizes so that the meal is a little more reasonable for me.

Case in point: For the cheese sauce, she wants you to use a pound of cheese. To me, that just seemed excessive. I probably used about 1/2 to 2/3 of the cheese and I thought it still tasted great. Even with less cheese, it made so much that we got to use the leftovers as fondue the next night, dipping in chunks of leftover pumpernickel bread and chopped apples. You could also just make half the cheese sauce recipe, but who doesn't love an excuse to have fondue?

Another part I adjusted was the size of the burgers, but that was only necessary because of the bread we bought. At our store the choices were either gluten-free pumpernickel or regular rye. We went with the rye, but it was a rather squatty loaf, so I cut the hamburger patties in half to make them fit. If you can only find short bread like us, you can figure out some way to make it work for you. Joe used a whole hamburger patty, but cut it in half and served it open-face on two slices of bread, piling the toppings on the side like a salad. I just had half a patty between two slices of bread. It's still really filling considering you have a cheese sauce and bacon on it too (the one pictured above is only half a patty, by the way). But you could also make two full sandwiches and just place half a patty on each, whatever works for you and your appetite.

Welsh Rarebit Burgersadapted from Everyday with Rachael Ray - August 2008serves 4 (more than 4 for us, since we aren't big eaters. Just don't assemble the burgers you aren't going to eat and heat them up the next day in the mircowave. Use the extra cheese sauce for fondue, if you like, with chunks of extra pumpernickel bread for dipping)

She wants you to cook the bacon on a broiler pan until crisp, about 15 minutes. We don't own a broiler pan, so we just cooked them on a regular pan the oven (not as healthy of course). Basically, just cook the bacon however you like it.

Preheat the broiler.

In a bowl, gently combine the beef, shallots and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Form into four patties. Dent the center with your thumb so they don't puff up while cooking.

Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a nonstick skillet over high heat (if using fattier meat, like 15-20%, omit the oil entirely). Cook the patties until they are as done as you like them (She suggested three minutes on each side for medium rare. We like them more well done then that so we cooked them longer).

In a large saucepan, add the butter and melt over medium heat. Whisk in the flour, cook until light brown, about 3 minutes. Stir in the Worcestershire, mustard, and hot sauce. Whisk in the stout, cook for a couple of minutes until thickened. Lower the heat a bit, and add the cheese in handfuls, stirring until smooth.

Lay the slices of pumpernickel on a baking sheet and toast in the oven on both sides. Pour a little cheese sauce onto each toast, broil a couple of minutes until the cheese bubbles.

Assemble the burgers: Place the four patties onto four cheesy slices. Pile some watercress on top, followed by the bacon and the tomato. Top each with another slice of bread, cheesy side down. Serve with potato chips and lots of napkins.